According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, there are more than 2 million break-ins in the US every year. That’s roughly 6,000 burglaries per day. It’s a staggering statistic and is a pointer that just about anyone is a potential victim.

While law enforcement does go to great lengths to protect us from criminals, the reality is they cannot be in every home at all times. Ergo, the burden of keeping your family and property safe primarily rests on your shoulders. By taking the following precautions, you can make it that much harder for an intruder to gain access to your home.

5 Tips to Better Protect Your Home

Light Up Exteriors

Whether you live in a townhouse or a condo, installing more lighting around the exterior of your home can make an enormous difference as a deterrent. Burglars prefer to work in darkness so poorly lit areas are likely to be picked out as the easiest targets.

You don’t have to break the bank when it comes to exterior lighting. Security lighting systems may be as little as motion activated lights. As with any kind of outdoor and yard lighting though, you must ensure that installation doesn’t blind passing cars or inconvenience your immediate neighbors.

Add Warning Signage

Only in the minority of instances is home burglary opportunistic. Intruders don’t like taking chances and wouldn’t want to risk getting caught. Therefore, they will spend considerable time sizing up your home to see whether it’s a viable target. Any signs you can place on your home’s exterior can help intimidate or deter them.

It doesn’t even matter if the warning is true. Just a ‘Beware of Dogs’ sign or the insignia of various home security systems would make a burglar think twice about attempting to enter your property.

Avoid the Hidden Key Trick

We all dread arriving home only to find out we have misplaced our key. If it happens at night, there’s a real risk you might sleep on your driveway. Even if there’s a way you can force your way in, you may hesitate to do so to avoid triggering the alarm and attracting the attention of law enforcement. There could be a tragic case of mistaken identity whose outcome is unpredictable.

One popular solution to this dilemma is to hide a backup key somewhere under a rock, mat, above the door, or inside the mailbox. Unfortunately, this technique is so common now that burglars will actually check these locations for the keys so they can have easy access into your property.

Instead, you should leave the backup key with a trusted neighbor, work colleague, or nearby relative. You can then call them if you need to access.

Check Your Windows

The conspicuous location of the front door means an intruder would only want to use that as a last resort as a means of gaining entry. Instead, they’ll try to enter through the windows as these are often hidden from street view. Also, windows are more likely to be left open or unlocked compared to front and back doors.

Therefore, develop a routine whenever you are leaving the house that requires you to check every window to confirm it’s locked.

Invest in a Home Security System

You can put in place plenty of physical barriers in the way of an intruder. However, none of these can negate the need for a home security system even if it’s as basic as an alarm system. Residential security systems come in a wide range of prices and features (you can check out the reviews on https://homesecurityseek.com/). Nevertheless, home security systems fall into two broad categories—monitored systems and non-monitored systems.

Monitored systems cost more but provide more comprehensive surveillance round the clock. So if the alarm is triggered, the security company is immediately notified and can subsequently get law enforcement on the scene in no time. Non-monitored systems don’t alert a remote security company. However, the sound of the alarm will scare most burglars into fleeing.

Home security is something we all must do if we want to keep our assets and personal belongings safe. It doesn’t have to be an expensive and stressful process though if you follow these tips.

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